The Marauder's Band
by MissSamantha
Summary: A band contest comes to Hogwarts and naturally, the Marauders must defend their honour. tell me any songs you want them to sing and review very welcome
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter

Sirius Black ran noisily into the Great Hall, for once ignoring the effect his presence had on the female students

Sirius Black ran noisily into the Great Hall, for once ignoring the effect his presence had on the female students. In his hand was a piece of parchment with Dumbledore's writing on it. James Potter, him best friend, barely acknowledged him, he was instead staring down the Gryffindor table at a certain red head who was deep in discussion with Frank Longbottom. Sirius shook his hair out of his eyes, slightly out of breath. He was tall with hair to match his surname that hung casually around his handsome face; there was a smile at his lips, curving them slightly in a seductive way. Remus Lupin rolled his eyes; he doubted Sirius knew how to smile like a normal person. James' eyes were fixed staring to the left behind glasses that made him look anything but nerdy. His hair stuck up in every which direction and was the same colour as Sirius' though he was several inches shorter. The eye roller had sandy coloured hair with natural darker highlights. He had a weary yet wild look to eyes that were flecked with gold and bronze; he was the tallest of the group.

"Should I be worried?" he asked Sirius dubiously.

Sirius' grin became slightly mischievous thought his eyes were being forced into looking innocent, eyebrows raised.

"Of course not my dear Moony, what you are about to hear is quite possibly one of the best things to have happened to Hogwarts while we Marauders are still student here."

"You said the same about the Map, and that has gotten us into more trouble than it took to make."

Sirius frowned.

"Hmm, that wasn't the original idea. Don't worry though; I have complete faith in you to stop it sounding an alarm when in use."

"Sirius?" this voice came from the fourth Marauder, a boy gifted with neither looks nor talent. Peter Pettigrew was a simple boy, the shortest of all four and the widest. "You were excited about something…?"

"Oh yeah! We're, my friends, are about to become a band." Peter looked surprised, Remus looked still more dubious and James joined the conversation for the first time since Sirius had sat down.

"Enlighten us Sirius." Sirius stood on the bench in full view of everyone and cleared his throat.

"This year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry there will be a talent competition within year's five to seven. Anyone within these three years is eligible to enter and we look forward to a range of genres within singing. First auditions will take place three weeks from today. So get singing in bands no bigger than five and show us what you've got."

"Couldn't have put it better myself Mr. Black" said Dumbledore, a twinkle in his eye.

Student's throughout the Hall put their heads together to discuss what they had just heard, all the girls asking what was going on, none of them having apparently listened to a word Sirius had said.

"Of course, there is Marauder pride at stake here boys." Said Sirius, having sat down.

"Now, I suggest we enter, get through every round, and win."

"One problem wise guy; none of us has the first idea about being in a band." Said James. Sirius slapped the piece of parchment that was in his hand onto the table. It read:

Sirius – Vocals and Guitar

James – Vocals and Drums

Remus – Keyboard

Peter – Bass

"No." Sirius had expected this reaction for Remus. "The finals run into exams, and we already have shed loads of homework."

"Come on Rem, lighten up, it could be a laugh." Sirius smiled widely at James.

"I'm not very good at Bass" said Peter.

"Doesn't matter, no one really hears it anyway." Said James tactlessly.

"Of course you are Peter." said Remus kindly.

Four weeks after hearing about the contest, the list for 16 finalists was taped to the common room notice board. Sirius and James were, naturally, at the front of the crowd. This time, James cleared his throat.

"The four finalists from Gryffindor house are: The Redroom Bassists (A fifth year band of three), The Common Room Rollers (a sixth year all girl band), Check It (a group of girls from seventh year, including Lily) and the Marauders." As James finished his speech, there was a brief round of applause before talk broke out about the choices. Sirius smiled over at Remus who was looking distinctly green and Peter who was asleep.

TWO WEEKS LATER

Dumbledore stood before the whole school gathered in the Great Hall.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the first heat of the SuperSingStar contest. Without further ado, let me introduce the first act…"

The Marauders stood backstage, Remus and Peter both looking nervous. Sirius was tuning his guitar quietly and James was doing press-ups. Remus rolled his eyes. He was going to get repetitive eye strain if he hung out with these two image obsessed boys much longer. First up were a Slytherin band called Stealth. They were good, better than the Marauders had anticipated. Of course, this group contained Lucius Malfoy so it was possible they had found a way to boycott the rules and drink certain potions to improve their voices. They sang a muggle song called "I'm No Good."

Second were a group of Ravenclaws called Brainbox Three Sixty. Remus didn't recognise the song they sang and their tuning was a little out. Then a Hufflepuff group called the Dizzy Daizies danced around the staged to banjos to somewhat scattered applause. After another four performances, it was the Marauders turn. They walked on stage to tumultuous clapping, with James and Sirius winking at several girls in the crowd. Sirius was wearing black jeans and a t-shirt that said 'Sex, Drugs and Sausage Rolls'; James was also wearing black jeans and an open collar shirt; Remus was wearing black jeans and a red t-shirt that said 'Show Me Your Wild Side'; and Peter was wearing black jeans and a fully buttoned up shirt.

Sirius walked confidently up to the mike, his t-shirt rather tight and said, "Hello Hogwarts" more applause, "This song, and every song we sing from now on is dedicated to every female in this room." Cue screaming. Sirius looked at his band mates and winked, stepping back from the mike. He took a breath,

"Somebody once told me the world is gonna roll me  
I ain't the sharpest tool in the shed  
She was looking kind of dumb with her finger and her  
Thumb in the shape of an "L" on her forehead  
Well the years start coming and they don't stop coming  
Fed to the rules and I hit the ground running  
Didn't make sense not to live for fun" McGonnagal smile wryly.  
"Your brain gets smart but your head gets dumb  
So much to do so much to see  
So what's wrong with taking the back streets?  
You'll never know if you don't go  
You'll never shine if you don't glow

Hey now you're an All Star get your game on, go play  
Hey now you're a Rock Star get the show on get paid  
And all that glitters is gold  
Only shooting stars break the mould" Star shot across the enchanted ceiling.

"It's a cool place and they say it gets colder  
You're bundled up now but wait 'til you get older" A wink at Dumbledore.  
"But the meteor men beg to differ  
Judging by the hole in the satellite picture  
The ice we skate is getting pretty thin  
The waters getting warm so you might as well swim  
My world's on fire how about yours  
That's the way I like it and I never get bored" Every girl in the hall smiled sheepishly.

"Hey now you're an All Star get your game on, go play  
Hey now you're a Rock Star get the show on get paid  
And all that glitters is gold  
Only shooting stars break the mould

Hey now you're an All Star get your game on, go play  
Hey now you're a Rock Star get the show on get paid  
And all that glitters is gold  
Only shooting stars break the mould

Somebody once asked, "could you spare some change for gas  
I need to get myself away from this place"  
I said yep what a concept  
I could use a little fuel myself  
And we could all use a little change.

Well the years start coming and they don't stop coming  
Fed to the rules and I hit the ground running  
Didn't make sense not to live for fun  
Your brain gets smart but your head gets dumb  
So much to do so much to see  
So what's wrong with taking the back streets  
You'll never know if you don't go  
You'll never shine if you don't glow

Hey now you're an All Star get your game on, go play  
Hey now you're a Rock Star get the show on get paid  
And all that glitters is gold  
Only shooting stars break the mould"

The Hall erupted into applause and the rest of the performances passed smoothly with only a few broken instruments and out of tune songs. At the end of the night, a Hufflepuff group was eliminated and the party in the Gryffindor common room lasted until the early hours of the morning.

AN: So what do you guys think? Should I bother writing more chapters?


	2. Chapter 2

Sirius Black ran noisily into the Great Hall, for once ignoring the effect his presence had on the female students

CHAPTER TWO.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

AN: Circle M – thanks for the suggestions, I'll definitely be using one of them in a later week, so keep reading!

The following Wednesday, the Marauders received information about the next bout of live performances. Once again, it was Sirius who took the lead in reading it out.

"Dear Students, congratulations on passing through to the next round of SuperSingStar! This week, the theme of the songs is Befriending an Enemy. This may sound like a hard topic, but I trust you students to rise to the occasion. Good luck!

A. Dumbledore."

An evil grin had spread over Sirius' face, a look that was mirrored in James'.

"Padfoot, I think it's time for us to put aside our differences with Snivellus and tell him of the compromises we could make towards him"

"I completely agree Prongs."

Remus and Peter exchanged worried looks.

"Don't worry ol' chums, the song we have in mind doesn't require you to sing or play anything." Said James.

"Then what do we do?" asked Peter.

"Sit and look pretty. Don't panic, I'll give you some tips." Winked Sirius.

The rest of the week passed with almost no pranks, perhaps just a quick one in the corridor against Malfoy and Snape, and the rest of the school began to realise it was safe to walk the corridors again as the Marauders, were deeply immersed in practice. All the bands had been given the location of the Room of Requirement, to ensure top secret practice session, of course, the Marauders didn't need telling. As it turned out, Remus was needed for more than 'sitting pretty'. He was, in all honesty, not thrilled about studying the ways in which polyjuice potion could be brewed in the space of a day, however he obliged and spent barely any time on homework which resulted in a very stressed Moony.

"Moony, would you stop worrying? It's not like you've never had detention before, even if it could previously be blamed on Prongs and me."

"This can be blamed of you as well you know. We have NEWTs later this year and I don't think I want to re-use the excuse 'Sirius ate my homework' again. By the way James, you should really train him to stop doing that; it makes him a bad dog." Remus replied angrily. Sirius gave his best puppy dog eyes and received a smack from James.

"What the bloody hell was that for?!" he asked, rubbing his head.

"Bad Dog" was all James had to say.

Two days before round two, Sirius bumped into Snape in the corridor and received a disgusted 'watch where you're going'. He ran to the boy's dormitory where Remus was sat on the floor with Peter's cauldron in front of him.

"What did you get?" he asked

"Grease, what else?" laughed Sirius. Remus grimaced as he added it to the potion. It turned green.

"I can't believe you want us to sit pretty looking like Snape of all people." Said Peter.

"It was either that or lose the competition" said James sternly. Remus mumbled something about 'would rather lose' and 'never live it down'. James and Sirius ignored him until he pointed out to James that since Sirius was singing and on guitar, he'd be taking the potion too. James scowled.

Round two and the Marauders were up first. There was great uproar as Dumbledore welcomed onstage one Sirius and three Snape's. Once the crowd had settled down, (with the real Snape looking irate), Sirius sat on a high stool in front of a mike and James sat next to him with Remus and Peter stood at either end of the stage.

"This is dedicated, not to the girls as previously promised, but to our dear chum Severus. I do hope we can be friends" said Sirius with an overly soppy look on his face. Many people in the crowd laughed. Sirius cleared his throat.

"Here we are  
Dear old friend,  
You and I drunk again  
laughs have been had  
and tears have been shed  
maybe the whisky has gone to my head  
but if I were gay  
I would give you my heart  
and if I were gay  
you'd be my work of art  
and if I were gay  
we would swim in romance  
but I'm not gay  
so get your hand out of my pants" McGonnagal had never looked so angry. Dumbledore seemed to be enjoying the performance

"Its not that I don't care  
I do  
I just don't see myself in you" the crowd were now laughing hysterically at the innuendos.  
"another time another scene  
I'd be right behind you if you know what I mean  
coz if I were gay  
I would give you my soul  
and if I were gay  
I would give you my whole... being" McGonnagal made to stand up, but the extra word seemed to placate her slightly.  
"And if I were gay  
we would tear down the walls  
But I'm not gay  
so won't you stop cupping my Ba... Hand" This time Sirius saved himself from Dumbledore's intervention.  
"We've never hugged  
we've never kissed  
I've never been intimate with your fist  
you have opened brand new doors  
get over here and drop ... your ... Drawers" Sirius held the final high note for a laughably long time then took one final breath:

"Severus Snape, would you do me the honour of becoming my wife?"

By this point, McGonnagal stifled a laugh and other teachers were trying hard to hide their smiles.

No one else seemed to see the point in their performance because the Hall was full of the hilarity of the Marauder's song. However, they gave it a shot with classics such as 'Maybe this time, I'll win' and 'I kissed a girl'. This last one gained more immature laughs and the Slytherin group that sang it were voted out.

(AN: I suggest looking up 'if I were gay' on Youtube, it's by Stephen Lynch.)

Dumbledore stood at last and announced the date of the next round. As students began filing out of the hall, Remus Lupin stared plainly at the wall ahead of him.

"Earth to Moony" called James.

"Don't be ridiculous James, the moon belongs in the sky." Complained Sirius.

"I wish it belonged nowhere" said Remus quietly. He sighed. "Next round is the same night as full moon."

The Marauders stood in silence, cursing the moon and the curse that came with it.

AN: Sorry this chapter is so short, I'll try to write more but I'm snowed under with work right now. Damn the Marauder's and their addictive ways!!


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER THREE

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

AN: The conversation between Sirius and the new girl was made up by my friend.

Circle M: the question brought up in your review was actually the topic for this chapter! Hope it's answered! And thanks for the song!

The four Marauders stood in silence; the only noise was that of the rest of the school leaving for bed. Dumbledore appeared backstage wearing a worried look.

"Remus, I understand the next date does not suit you. I'm afraid that if there was not a consistency in practice time, suspicion would be raised."

"I understand" said Remus in a resigned voice.

"Congratulations on passing to the next round, now I suggest you all get a good night's sleep." Dumbledore walked off. Sirius had never thought so hard in his life. If Remus didn't show up for the performance, people would start to get suspicious anyway. There must be a way out of the situation. He would have to sleep on it. The polyjuice potion was starting to wear of and instead Sirius Black dreamt of gruesome figures a third Snape, a third Marauder and a third werewolf.

Sirius promised himself he would think of a solution the next day, but only after potions as there was a very pretty new girl.

"You do realise you're staring don't you?" she said.

"You look familiar; I think I know your boyfriend?" said Sirius. Ahh, his famous chat up line.

"I don't have a boyfriend." She said, confused

"Good" he smiled.

"Look, I appreciate the flirting, but I don't have time for one liners"

"Fine, I can't be bothered anyway, it's too hot in here" they were making freezing potions.

"You don't look hot."

"What a contrast, you do. I'd call that a two liner. Now, how about you stop insulting me by telling me I'm not hot, which, please, we both know is not true, and go out with me for a drink later instead." He smiled

"No." she turned her head back to the front.

"Oh come on, throw me a line!" he laughed

"What a third?" she said, turning her head to face him.

"Miss Denver, you will not talk while I am talking! And that piercing is against regulation" the teacher yelled at the girl, pointing to her cartilage piercing.

"Don't touch my hair!" she jumped back suddenly.

"Don't give me cheek" screamed the teacher.

"Leave her alone!" Sirius was now out of his chair, looking angry.

"Be quiet Mr. Black"

"Not until you give her a break"

"Sit down you retard!" the girl looked almost as angry as Professor Merryweather.

"ENOUGH! Detention! Both of you! Tonight."

"Bu-"

"End of discussion"

The rest of the lesson passed without incident and Sirius tuned up at the dungeons to meet the girl at 7.30pm. She was stood leaning against the cold brick wall looking mildly bored.

"Hey" he said, walking down the steps to stand with her. "How come I've never seen you around before?"

"I'm new here; I transferred from Beaubatons last night. My mother's a psychologist and thinks the all girl atmosphere was having an effect on my learning." She pulled a face. "I'm Kerry by the way."

"I'm Sirius, so do you know anyone here?"

"Nah, not personally, but body language is so easy to read." Sirius raised an eyebrow intrigued.

"Like your friend James; he's the leader of your group. He likes to show off and get the girls, so is understandably annoyed when you get them all." This was new information to Sirius, who would make a point of assisting James in his fight for Lily.

"Then, there's the small boy in your group. He's the shy one who looks up to you other three, but you brush him off." Sirius had never thought of himself like that. He felt guilty and decided to make more of an effort with Peter.

"And there's the other boy. The tall one. There's something wild about him, but I wont go into detail because I don't know if he's told you or not." Sirius didn't quite know what to make of this analysis. Was it possible that she knew about Remus? He chose his words carefully.

"He has…told me of certain…things that affect him." Kerry couldn't for the life of her think why, but she trusted this new boy with information that wasn't hers to divulge.

"If you know him well enough, you'll be able to tell me how accurate I am. You may want to inform your friend of the obviousness in which he shows his condition that he's a Werewolf." Sirius sucked in his breath.

"How do you know that?" he asked.

"Years of reading peoples body language I guess." She shrugged. A smile curved Sirius' lips. An idea had finally come to him.

On the morning of the third round, one Marauder in particular seemed rather chirpy.

"I don't know what you've got to be so happy about." Said Remus grumpily.

"You'll see my dear Moony, you'll see."

"Yep, you'll soon find out" said Remus, walking up to the table. James jumped out of his seat.

"REMUS! There's two of you?!" the Remus and the Sirius laughed.

"We're doomed" mumbled Peter. James burst out laughing.

"Sirius, what are you planning?" there was no hint of a smile playing on Remus' lips. He leant forward and took a sip from his drink, looking worried. He promptly started choking and immediately questioned Sirius when he re-emerged.

"Sirius, what have you put in my drink?" Sirius just laughed and took a sip of his own drink. Remus, yelled out as his throat began to burn. He fell backwards off the bench and stood up looking exactly like Sirius. A split second later, Sirius was looking like Remus. Sirius began to explain.

"Thing is, I researched polyjuice potion and found that it's not only skin deep, your blood changes too, just not your mind. This is Kerry, she's just transfigured to look like you, she hasn't drunk any polyjuice. Now you can go on stage looking like me, she can go on as you, and I'll go and transform so you don't have to, sorted."

"NO IT BLOODY ISN'T SIRIUS!" Remus had never looked quite this furious. "YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT IT'S LIKE! IT'S NOT A WALK IN THE PARK, IT'S PAINFUL AND IT'S DANGEROUS!" Remus realised as he was shouting that it was no use. There was no way to reverse the spell before the performance. He buried his head in his hands. When he looked up, he saw only himself, James and Peter. There was no sign of the second him.

When the Marauders and Kerry arrived that evening for the show, Dumbledore sat at the top table, frowning. He said nothing, but resolved to question the boys after everyone else had gone to bed. Meanwhile, Sirius made his way down to the Shrieking Shack alone, turning to look at the castle before he stunned the Whomping Willow.

The Marauders walked out on stage to their normal welcome, the cheers travelling down to the Black Lake and carrying out across the grounds.

Sirius (Remus) walked towards the mike, pushed all worry out of his mind, and began to sing.

"I see the bad moon arising.  
I see trouble on the way.  
I see earthquakes and lightnin.  
I see bad times today." This wasn't a song, this was Remus' thoughts.

"Dont go around tonight,  
Well, its bound to take your life," He sincerely hoped not.  
"Theres a bad moon on the rise.

I hear hurricanes ablowing.  
I know the end is coming soon.  
I fear rivers over flowing.  
I hear the voice of rage and ruin." Dumbledore seemed deep in thought.

"Dont go around tonight,  
Well, its bound to take your life,  
Theres a bad moon on the rise.

All right!

Hope you got your things together.  
Hope you are quite prepared to die.  
Looks like were in for nasty weather.  
One eye is taken for an eye.

Dont go around tonight,  
Well, its bound to take your life,  
Theres a bad moon on the rise.

Dont go around tonight,  
Well, its bound to take your life,  
Theres a bad moon on the rise." Remus finished and stepped away from the mike, finding to his surprise that all the girls were making eyes at him.

Backstage the Marauders got changed hurridly and waited impatiently for the results to be announced. They were slightly abashed as a Gyrffindor team and a Ravenclaw band were voted out in a surprise double eviction. They left the castle and ran down to the Shack having told Kerry to stay behind. James became a stag and Peter took the rat form, leaving Remus left looking like Sirius.James turned back.

"Can't you turn into Padfoot?" he asked. Remus shook his head.

"It's not in my blood. I'll….i'll stay here, you come find me once you've checked it out." James nodded, and returned to his animal form.

The stag and the rat made their way down the cramped hallway and pressed their ears to the door behind which was the werewolf. An earsplitting howl deafened them. They exchanged glances; Remus had never been that loud when they checked on him. They jumped back from the door as there was a thud against it; the wood of the door began to split and the two animals dashed back the way they had come. Remus was found lingering at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, pacing back and forth. He was startled at the sight of a stag galloping towards him and began to back away. James materialised in front of him, as did Peter.

"He's trying to break out." James sounded out of breath. Remus smiled slightly.

"Don't worry, it won't break, it's magically reinforced. When the tranformation is complete, the pain is still there, and the need to get out and run is often overpowering. That's why he's trying to get out."

"Woah, Moony, you never told us it was that bad." Said Peter in awe.

"Did you think it was as easy as an animagus transformation? It's nothing of the sort. I cant believe Sirius did this just so I wouldn't feel replaced or get caught out. I don't think he realises how dangerous it is, I didn't want to say this before because I didn't want you to be distracted" he said, talking now to James. "James, his body isn't used to this and he isn't prepared mentally; this could kill him." James sat down slowly. This night couldn't pass any slower if they had Time Turners.

When the Marauders woke up the next morning, Remus looked like Remus, James looked like he had barely slept, Peter had been called by Dumbledore to explain what had happened last night, and there was a conspicuously empty bed. James tried not to wake Remus as he pulled on a cloak against the cold November chill. He walked quietly t the hospital wing to see what had become of his best friend. As he approached the bed at the very end of the ward, he realised there was already someone talking quietly with Sirius.

"I can't believe you did that for your friends. It was so…brave. You could've been killed, did you realise that?" it was a girl's voice.

"Yeah" James was shocked at how weak Sirius sounded. He quickened his step and rounded the curtain. Sirius' face split into a smile at the sight of his best friend, which was more than could be said for James. Sirius' arm and legs were covered in scratches and there was a bandage round his head. He looked like he hadn't slept in a week and one of his arms was in a sling.

"Couldn't Madame Pomfrey fix that for you?" James asked.

"Nah their werewolf inflicted, cursed wounds." Replied Sirius, shaking his head and wincing.

"Why did you do it Siri? I mean, we do some outlandish stuff, but notheing really dangerous."

"Because if we left Remus to transform, and turned Kerry into him, I'd feel like we were abandoning him, replacing him. Anyway, he deserved a night off; it's hell what he goes through." Kerry stood when Sirius had finished talking and dragged James out of the Hospital Wing.

"James isn't it? Look, Sirius isn't stupid, he knew exactly what he was doing. He wanted to know what pain really felt like, being a Beater he's had his fair share, but nothing he couldn't really control. The Dark Lord is getting stronger and the rumours are no longer just myths and legends, they're real. By taking his burden, Sirius is strengthening bonds withing his life, and learning from doing so." James frowned.

"You're not from Beaubatons are you?" she hesitated, biting her lip.

"No, I work for the Ministry, but I'm behind Dumbledore 100."

"I want to talk to Sirius. See you later." Jaems walked off leaving Kerry stood in the corridor cursing herself. Had she said too much? They were still children. Then again, so was she.

AN: the song is Creedence Clearwater Revival › Bad Moon Rising.


	4. Chapter 4

AN: this is just a little bit

CHAPTER FOUR

Sirius looked around him. Magic cuts weren't a common occurrence at Hogwarts, but the Marauders had learnt these were not the best times for pranks as they couldn't use LUMOS to see where they were going. James was sat on the couch next to Lily, they were deep in conversation but Sirius knew James and knew his attention was far from rapt and seemed to be more interested in staring at Lily with disbelieving eyes; Peter had dozed off in the armchair nearest the fire; Remus was laid out on the couch opposite with a book propped up against some cushions. He was reading something quietly to Sam with a slight frown and she replied in a voice too soft for Sirius to hear. He doubted he would be able to understand her anyway because of her accent. She had only joined Hogwarts this year having moved over from Africa and didn't seem to have very high expectations of Sirius purely because he had asked why, seeing as she was from Africa, she was white. He had thought it to be a completely plausible question however Remus had given his a look full of distain and pointed out that people didn't always live in a country according to their nationality. His gaze shifted to the girl sat next to him. Shia was one of the most amazing people he had ever met. She didn't say much but he guessed she must be at least half Veela. Her heritage didn't particularly interest him, he was just happy to have bed her several times already this year. He smiled slightly and led her up the stairs to the boy's dormitory.

James sat listening to Lily, well, listening was a bit of an overstatement. This was the longest he had ever had her attention without having some inanimate object thrown at his head. He was vaguely aware that she was taking about the Potions essay that Slughorn had assigned them. Lily was the best in the year at Potions but even she had to admit that this one was particularly vicious. He held back the yawn that tried to leap out of his mouth. For the first time in his life he did not crave the warm bed in the room above him, to jump under the covers and wrap himself in the sheets, not emerging until at least 1 o'clock. He had seen Sirius and Shia ascend the stairs earlier and wished more than anything he could have that with the girl sat in front of him. Remus and Sam stood up and said goodnight before Remus walked over to the chair where Peter was asleep and gently woke him. He was kind like that. It wasn't that the other two were intentionally cruel; they just wouldn't have thought to wake him. James watched as Remus slowly encouraged him up the stairs. Lily stopped talking and mentioned something about getting some sleep. James got up slowly. Past experience had taught him better than to try to kiss her goodnight so he instead gave her a small smile and took the same path as his fellow Marauders had previously done. He didn't see the disappointed look that graced the redhead's features.

When Sirius and Shia entered the Great Hall the next day for breakfast, James noticed Shia was walking slightly gingerly. He wasn't the only one; McGonagall came storming down the aisle and dragged Shia off to her office but not before giving Sirius a thunderous look that resembled his mother so much that he grimaced through his cocky smile. He took a seat next to James who immediately questioned him.

"She's never been like that before." It was a fact, not a question, but Sirius gave him an answer anyway.

"Last night was a bit more…vigorous." Remus choked on his cereal and Sam thumped him on the back. She then continued with the conversation they had been having about career choices, it came as no surprise to any of them that Sam wanted to be a healer.

"It's not like being a Seer or a Metamorphagus. It's just a talent, not an ability you're born with. I can just tell things about people. It can really make you see them differently." Remus shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Like Sirius for example, I thought he would be crawling with infections and diseases when I first heard about him, but he's as clean as a whistle." Sirius bowed across the table and she laughed.

"What about me?" asked James in a very arrogant manner. Sam scrutinised him thoroughly and eventually smiled.

"You're clean too…except for the lice." For the second time in ten minutes, Remus almost suffocated.

"It's not just stuff that's sex related thought. It's allsorts. Cold, flu, poison, curses. Like, I can tell Remus is-" She stopped and hastily excused herself from the group to go to Foreign Languages. Remus exchanged a worried look with the others but before they could discuss what had just happened, a distraction arrived in the form of Lily. She started complaining about the Transfiguration essay while looking pointedly at James, it was, after all, his area of expertise. It took several nudges from Sirius before James cottoned on. He wasn't used to Lily even looking at him, let alone purposely seeking him out for help. He followed Lily out of the Hall with the look of a lost and bewildered puppy, much to Sirius' amusement. He scratched out the few lines written on the parchment in front of him. A couple of weeks had passed and there were now just six bands left in the competition. Kerry hadn't been seen since Sirius had taken Remus' place as werewolf but only Sirius seemed to have noticed her absence. Since He had discovered that Shia existed, he didn't ever spare her a thought. He had the distinct impression that James knew more than he was letting on but knew his best friends wouldn't keep anything of importance from him. The themes of the songs were getting increasingly difficult and seeing as the idea this week was to write their own music and lyrics, and the task had befallen Sirius as the band was his idea in the first place. He wasn't getting very far and so far had just one word: Orange.

Remus, for once, wasn't paying attention in History of Magic. This sort of behaviour was expected of every other student, but not Mr. Smartarse. Fortunately, Binns didn't notice the lack of parchment in front of the boy, much less his own death. Remus was completely lost in his own thoughts. Did she know? How could she? He hadn't told her. He doubted anyone else had. But she'd talked about seeing people differently. He was sure that was about him. But did she treat him any differently? She can't know. It's impossible to tell by looking at someone. But then again, she'd left rather quickly for a lesson she didn't have until this afternoon. The sound of the bell roused Remus from his thoughts and he panicked as he realised he hadn't taken any notes and it was unlikely there would be anyone he could copy up from. As he hurried down the corridor, he decided to ask her later about what she'd meant and without further thought on the matter, hurried off to the library.

Remus entered the Common Room later to see Sirius and Shia disappearing up the staircase to the boys dormitory once again. The room was empty apart from some second years and Lily. He walked over to her slowly.

"Hey Lily, do you know where James is?"

"Yeah, he's in the library taking out some books for me." she said with a slight smile.

"Erm...Lily, James has been banned from taking out books since second year when he accidentally spilt a badly made Polyjuice Potion on the front of a rare book and turned it irreversibly into a giant snail." Lily sighed.

"I guess I should go help him out then." She got up and walked over to the Portrait Hole.

"Lily wait! Do you know where Sam is?" he spoke urgently and Lily frowned but didn't ask any questions.

"Yeah, she's up in our dorm I think." Remus turned and walked towards the stairs. They had been reconfigured a long time ago to allow him up but he had never used them, maintaining his belief that the rules had been put in place for the purpose of the girls' privacy. He pushed aside his morals and started up the steps. James and Sirius used them all the time after all. He stopped outside the door and knocked; he still had some principles left. There was no reply and he toyed with the idea that she might be asleep. He was about to turn away when he heard the shower come on. He decided to wait inside, knowing that the longer he put it off, the harder it would be to question her. It wasn't hard to tell which bed belonged to her. Lily's was unnaturally neat and tidy; Shia's was very elegant and everything was made of silk. There were three other beds. Two were pink and fluffy which wasn't exactly Sam's style, which left one bed. The colours were warm and foreign with a fake cheetah hide draped over on of the bed posts. She had made aboriginal carvings into all four posts which Remus was sure was against the Dormitory Rules. As he sat down on the bed he noticed pieces of parchment of her bedside table all of which showed hand drawn pictures of wolves, werewolves and humans in mid transformation. Remus shivered. Despite the room being cold, the temperature had nothing to do with it. As he replaced the pictures, another piece of paper caught his eye. It was covered in Sam's handwriting. It only took Remus a few moments to realise it was their song for this week's round.

'Can you tame the fallen, baby?

Wildcat of the moon

Peter once said 'I don't cry wolf'

But the howls always come too soon.

Moonlight shining fro the sky

Has a look of innocence.

It kills me to see you living this way

Always keeping up some pretence

The Stag and the Dog and the Rat are there

But it doesn't change the fact

The scrapes and scars that line your face

Make you complexion look like wax

Melt in the candlelight

It's an everlasting fight

But one day we'll win

In the victory of the night

Can you tame the fallen, baby?

Wildcat of the moon

Peter once said 'I don't cry wolf'

But the howls always come too soon.'

The song wasn't finished, but it was enough to make Remus realise just how much she knew. He let the song drift to the floor and the torches on the wall went out. The shower stopped running and Remus could hear Sam cursing and swearing; another magical power cut. Dumbledore had to sort these out. As she stumbled out of the bathroom he let her know he was there straight away so that he didn't scare her. She made her way over to the bed.

"Remus, what are you doing here?" He didn't talk straight away. He was still trying to figure out how to ask her.

"How do you know about me?"

"I guessed right then?" He studied her face through the gloom. Everyone knew he fancied her. He wasn't used to liking someone and so wasn't as accustomed to hiding his feelings like James and Sirius. He nodded.

"I can't explain how I know. I just…know. I've always been able to tell these things." She said. There was a pause. "It's freezing in here and I know you, you'll get lost on the way back." Remus sighed.

"There's no point in pretending I don't see you as more than a friend, so is it really a good idea for me to stay here if you don't feel the same way?"

"Remus, did you not read the song? I DO feel the same way. It's just…I knew about you but the actual confirmation that you're...you know…and about the curse…" Remus sighed and held his head in his hand. He looked angry rather that accepting. "Remus, don't be like this."

"How can I not be? This is exactly why I hate being this way. It pushes people away."

"But it hasn't!"

"Don't lie to me Sam! I can tell by the way you look at me! you're terrified of me!"

"None of that matters! Remus, I trust you with my life!" His expression darkened.

That's a foolish thing to say to a werewolf." Sam threw herself forward out of nowhere and kissed him. He drew back and pushed her away angrily.

"Why do you have to make this so hard for me?"

"Why are you so afraid to let people close to you?"

"You pretty much answered that in your song. You CAN'T tame the fallen. Bitten by a monster, live as a beast!" There were tears in his eyes and she could feel them forming in hers. Her voice shook slightly as she spoke.

"Is that how you see yourself? A wild creature who has to alienate people as soon as he feels himself falling-"

"Don't say it!"

"-in love with them. For God's sake Remus! Do you realise how incredibly sexist you're being?!" Remus frowned. She had lost him now. She must have read his expression, because she gave him an explanation. "You think you don't deserve love because you turn into a bit of a monster every month? Remus you realise that is also true for nearly every woman out there?" She started to laugh and Remus could feel himself joining in. she leant forward to kiss him again.

"You didn't pull away this time."

"I'm not angry anymore." They laid down on the bed and she curled up against him. It was really cold in the stone room and he drew the covers over them. They both still had their clothes on; Remus still had his morals after all.

AN:/ Sorry it's been so long. I typed up this chapter and saved it only on my USB which I then proceeded to break. The Marauder's made up song with make its appearance in the next chapter so please stay with me! Oh, and the start of this chapter is very similar to another story I'm writing. Check it out if you have time. As always, READ AND REVIEW!!!

.


	5. Chapter 5

AN:/ I know this one is short, blame it on writers block. Reviews might help that =] if anyone has any ideas for the rest of the Marauder's song, then message me, cuz i've come to a halt, and the story can't continue until i have it!!

CHAPTER 5

News that the third Marauder's heart was now taken spread around the school like wild fire. Everyone knew that James had eyes for noone except Lily and Sirius' relationship with Shia had lasted longer than any other he'd ever had, much to the disappointment of every other female in the school. The fact that even the werewolf had found love was only depressing a certain James Potter even further. Lily had shown more interest in him that before and James knew he should feel grateful, yet she was still spending a lot of time with Snivellus. While becoming more open with James, she was also pushing him away by conversing with the enemy. Lily hadn't returned to the Common Room after dinner and James was feeling increasingly worried since seeing her walking down to the dungeons with Snape. Remus was sat in the armchair nearest the fire with Sam curled up in a ball on his lap; he was stroking her hair softly. Sirius' absence wasn't unusual and James made a point of staying away from the dormitory for at least half an hour. He expected this from his best friend though he was surprised at the amount of stamina from someone as slight as Shia. James took the map out of his pocket. The alarm had been skilfully removed by Moony so he didn't wake Sam as he unfolded it to look for Lily. He scanned the map for her, scutinising the Slytherin Common Room, with a cold jolt, he noticed the redhead being led into the Boys dorm by Snape. Their progress was slow and something didnt feel right to James. He tried to brush it off a jealousy, but kept his eyes trained on the two small figures. Lily was making her way to the door back to the main room, but Snape had caught up with her and was leading her further into the bedroom. James stood up and ran to the Portrait Hole, unnoticed by Remus who appeared to have dozed off. He sprinted down the corridor and positively threw himself down the stairs. The cases kept changing out of his favour and he resorted to calling for his broom and flew down the middle of the castle, jumping gracefully off at the bottom through years of practice on the Quidditch pitch. He threw his broom to oneside and dashed down the stair to the dungeons, taking a Marauder's detour to avoid having to know the password. He burst into the seventh year Boys dormitory and felt his blood boil. Severus was in bed holding to Lily's wrists as she cried pitifully. He noted the discarded clothed on the floor and realised with pride that Lily had at least managed to secure her underwear. Without missing a beat he shot a stunning spell at Snape and rushed forward to Lily. She threw herself into his strong arms and the tears came think and fast, not exactly quietly either. James scooped her up and carried her behind the tapestry, sealing it behind him. He lowered Lily down gently and wrapped his outer cloak around her which she snuggled into. He picked her up again and set off out of the dungeons. Picking up his broom he sat her on it before climbing on behind her and securing her in place with one of his arms while guiding the broom with his other. He didn't want to take her to the Common Room; there might still be people in there and he knew she wouldn't want to face anyone. He instead flew to the third floor and gliding up and down three times infront of some ballet attempting trolls and and a door appeared. He dismounted and took Lily into his arms. On opening the door, he revealed a cosy little room with two beds in and a roaring fire. He deposited Lily on one of the beds and drew the covers over her as she once again gave way to her sobs. He took her hand and stroked her hair in a way not unsimilar to how he'd just seen Remus. When he thought she was asleep he made his way to the other bed, not wanting her to wake up alone. However, he felt a small tug on his arm as Lily held him back. She drew back the sheet and patted the bed softly. Not wanting to upset her anymore considering what had just happened to her, he kept his clothes on and Lily smiled slightly at his thoughtfulness. He wriggled under the covers and held her close an she breathed in the woody smell he had permenantly for his broom obsession. Slowly, James drifted off to sleep, but Lily stayed wide awake. She couldn't believe what had just happened to her. She had always trusted Severus and now, at last, she finally uderstood why he had been put in Slytherin. Severus had alway shown an interest in her but she'd made it perfectly clear she only saw his as a friend. James Potter on the other hand had never given up when she'd put him down. Maybe he and Severus weren't so different afterall. Lily mentally slapped herself. Of course they were. James may seem bigheaded and arrogant but he was, when it came down to it, a proper gentleman. Sure, he'd overstepped the make hundreds of times, and embarrassed her too many times to count, but he'd never made any move on her, unless he wasn't sober. There had been one time when he'd more than overstepped the line. They had won their Quidditch match and Sirius had stolen a couple of bottles of Firewhiskey from the kitchens, and consequently the whole team had ended up inebriated and sining 'We are the Champions' far too loud. Sirius had about six women round him who he had then taken up to the dormitory. even Sirius Black had reached his limit that night. James on the other hand had danced his way over to Lily and promptly stuck his hand up her skirt. The slap he'd earnt added to the pain of his hangover the next morning, although he did have the grace to look ashamed of himself the next time he's seen her. Lily was surprised he could remember anything from the night before, and ended up forgiving him a little sooner than she'd meant too; he'd only endured another 20 slaps as opposed to the 50 she'd planned. Lily drew her head be and looked at the boy sleeping infront of her when she realised he was no longer the cocky little boy who'd thought it funny to squirt milk in her face after the sorting, but a man who she'd been a little too hard on for all the attempts he'd made at winning her affection. She realised that at some point over the last few weeks she'd become attached to the arrogant toe-rag and wasn't half as hostile towards him as she had been. She studied his face and noted how mature he looked. His messy hair had always been somewhat of a trademark and she doubted that was about to change. She gently removed his glasses and brushed his hair out of his eyes; it promptly fell back and she instead settled for sweeping to the side. his skin had a healthy glow from all the time he spent outside on his broom and his arms were built up from catching and throwing the Quaffle. Lily's eyes widened as she realised she was memorising the features on his face and felt herself being drawn in by his arms. Was she falling for James Potter?

Back in the Gryffindor Boy's dormitory, Sirius Black lay out of breath on his bed, with his arm around Shia. He found himself reliving the past 25mins an gazed down at Shia. He had to be up early for Quidditch practice a didn't want to wake her so decided to carry her back to her own bed. once he was alone, he pulled a piece of clean parchment from Moony's trunk and stole James' quill. He found, all of a sudden, that the words he'd stuggled with for so long came easy.

'Marauders we are, Marauders we be,

we alone can tame the sea

our looks are really rather grand

just admit we're kings of this land.

Through the antlers,

through the mange

through the years, we'll never change.

You might just find yourself

giving thanks

for all our stupid

pointless pranks

but the reason for this feeling you see

is that you love us

to an adequate decree

you find you just can't live without me

Peter, Remus, even Jamesy

cuz through the antlers

throught the mange

through the years, we'll never change.'

Sirius was just about to write the next verse when he heard the bedroom door open and a brown haired girl walked in. Kerry was back.


End file.
